Flow and Fouling in Elastic Membrane Filters with Complex Pore Morphology

Filtration technology has been increasingly used for industrial purposes and the study of membrane science is beneficial for filtration efficacy prediction and performance analysis. Real membranes have complex geometry, with pores inside the membrane branch and interconnected with each other. Membrane fouling, as an indispensable consequence for removing particles, occurs in course of filtration process and deteriorates the membrane permeability. In this work, we consider standard blocking as a fouling mechanism, which decreases membrane porosity. However, for membranes with elastic materials, the pressure within the membrane results in membrane pore radius expansion and further influences the filtration performance. We present a mathematical model with multi-layer bifurcating interior morphology, where two pervasive filtration forcing mechanisms are considered: (i) constant pressure drop; and (2) constant flux through membrane.